


Switch Interludes 1 and 2

by corvidae9



Series: Switchverse [3]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Gen, Second in a series of Switchverse follow-ups, and therefore unrepentantly AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2006-10-12
Updated: 2006-10-12
Packaged: 2018-10-18 16:51:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,446
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10621077
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/corvidae9/pseuds/corvidae9
Summary: Two short fics about Hufflepuff extractions and adults in fistfights outside of bookshops. (Harry, Draco, Ron, Fred, George, Hermione & assorted others)





	

**Author's Note:**

> These are just ficlety bits that were sort of scratching posts for me to be able to work out what happened in between The Stone and Switch v2.0. As usual, the awesome [](http://juice817.livejournal.com/profile)[juice817](http://juice817.livejournal.com/) took a good look at this before it was declared suitable for public consumption, but she swears that it's fun for her to do.

**I.**  
Harry was flopped back on his bed, staring at the ceiling. Again.

There wasn't much to look at in his room, once the broken toys and crooked furniture had been catalogued mentally. There was a black and gold tie hanging from the small corkboard next to his bed, a photo of Harry and Draco on the pitch, mussed and sweaty and clinging to their beloved brooms, another of Harry, Ron, Neville, Draco, Hermione and Pansy after the prank they'd pulled on Draco for his birthday; the boys covered in unidentifiable goo, laughing and shoving each other down; the girls pointing and snickering and trying to avoid flying chunks of gelatinous mess. There was a copy of one of Hermione's famous revision schedules, completely covered in community graffiti, and a note from Professor Sprout that looked almost like a hand-written form letter, wishing him a good summer and encouraging him to study hard and come back ready to learn.

Four cracks in the left side of the second tile of the ceiling. When the streetlights came on in about fifteen minutes the shadows from the raised edges would come together and make what looked like a weird trapezoid. Harry's stomach rumbled loudly. The clock went _tick tick tick tick tick tick ticka_ , which explained why Vernon was always having to adjust it, and in approximately ten seconds, Dudley would stomp past and slam his hamfist into Harry's door and shout a rude phrase or two.  
  
Four.... Three...

"Comfortable in your cage, freak? Maybe tomorrow dad'll let me sell you to the zoo!"

Harry rolled his eyes. Dudders was early _and_ reusing yesterday's jibe. Bad form.

Yes, since that bloody house elf had invaded his room, this was his life.

Hedwig hooted sadly, and Harry murmured, "I know, girl. I'm sorry." With a sigh for the bars on his own window, he looked away again. At least he was getting his post. There were cards from his friends spilling out of his rucksack and birthday chocolates hiding under his loose floorboard. Even if he never saw his friends again, at least he had that.

Oh. There was the weird trapezoid.

Harry rolled over and set his face on his forearm trying to get some sleep as the second deadbolt to his door swung shut from the outside.

Evidently, he must have succeeded to some extent, as the next thing he remembered was a clacking at the window. Rising cautiously from his bed, he stalked to the window on quiet feet and peered out. His expression immediately melted into a huge grin as Fred (or was it George?) carefully attached a tow hook to the bars and motioned for him to step back. As the bars came off with less noise than he would have expected, Harry decided that he didn't think he'd ever been more glad to see anyone, ever.

The twin at the wheel called in a loud whisper, "At this rate, mate, we'll make a career of rescuing you."  
  
"Hufflepuff extractions!" hissed the other twin, brandishing the tow cable. "Cheap!"

"Not hiding Malfoy in there, are you?" said the first twin, exaggeratedly craning his neck to see around Harry.

The second twin pointed with mock gravity. "'Cos we were only paid for one. We'd have to leave one of you behind this time."

Still grinning, Harry whispered, "Nope. Just me," as he reached up and grabbed the things off the wall near his bed and shoved them in his bookbag, followed by the contents of his loose floorboard. "Wait - someone paid you?"

"Nah," said the first twin as he hopped lightly through the window. "Figure of speech, lad."

The other thumped Harry's shoulder as he followed, inclining his head toward the car. "Ravenclaw boy'll explain it to you on the way."

Once the twins were inside the house, they brought his trunk up as quietly as they could manage and Harry shoved what few clothes he had in. They heaved it into the boot and brought the car around as Vernon's bellowing began down the hall.

"Ohp! Gotta go," said one twin, grabbing Hedwig's cage and tossing it to Ron in the backseat, almost doing the same with Harry.

By the time Vernon was purple and bellowing at the window, the little blue flying car was putting away safely two houses down.

Ron shoved the cage back at Harry with a brilliant grin. "Happy birthday, mate!"

###

**II.**

Once the shouting over the car was over, being at the Burrow was amazing. Almost as good as Hogwarts, even.  
There was plenty of food, simple but so very delicious; there were trees, fresh air and a lake. He didn't even mind doing chores for her, though more often than not Mrs. Weasley shooed him off to 'have some fun and enjoy the rest of his summer'. A fat stack of Hogwarts letters arrived not long after he had, and Mrs. Weasley immediately set to planning out a Diagon Alley shopping trip.

"...Floo powder," Harry repeated after Mrs. Weasley, peering dubiously at the earthenware crock in her hands.

"Yes, dear," she nodded, still smiling. "You toss it on the fire, shout clearly the name of your destination and step in. It's very simple."

"...You step _into_ the fire?" asked Harry, eyes wide.

"It's not like real fire," volunteered Ginny, who went a little pink when Harry looked at her. "It's not hot, or anything, that is. It just spins you around a bit."

Harry furrowed his brow again. "Oh."

"Go on, Ron," said Mrs. Weasley, pushing him forward a bit. "You go first and show him how it's done."

Ron nodded and stepped up to the hearth. He tossed the powder onto the flames, shouted, "Diagon Alley!" and stepped in, disappearing in a whoosh-pop that alarmed no one but Harry.

"Now you," Mrs. Weasley smiled. "It's easy as pie, don't worry."

"Um," said Harry, taking a step forward and forcing himself to take a handful of the powder, feeling keenly the gaze of all six remaining Weasleys. "All right."

Harry stepped up to the Floo grate and shouted something that sounded almost like "Diagon Alley", but different enough that Molly Weasley's face went a little pale as Harry disappeared into the flames.

"Oh dear. Arthur, would you please go next and make sure we haven't lost the lamb?"

The twins snickered and raised their right hands in concert. "We'll go!"

###

Harry meanwhile slid out of a little-used hearth onto the floor of Borgin and Burkes' backroom, coughing and more than a little surprised to recognize the pale, blond-haired boy staring at him in about reciprocal surprise.

"Malfoy?" said Harry with a grin.

Draco barked a laugh and held a hand out to Harry. "What the devil are you doing here?"

Popping to his feet, Harry began to dust himself off. "No idea. Stepped into the Floo at the Burrow, landed on my arse here." With a look around at the grim surroundings, he frowned. "Doesn't look like any part of Diagon Alley I remember."

"It's not, dullard," Draco said, amused. "Maybe that'll teach you to enunciate."

A silver snake head landed on Draco's shoulder with a muffled thud, his father following around the corner wearing an overly pleasant smile that didn't seem very pleasant at all. "Now, now, Draco. That's no way to talk to your friends." Draco's expression became pained, but his father kept speaking as he turned his attention to Harry.

"Mister Potter. So good to finally meet you." Lucius tugged back on Draco's shoulder with the cane as he stepped forward and offered his hand to Harry. "Lucius Malfoy. Draco has told me so much about you."

Harry cleared his throat and took the offered hand. "Nice to meet you, sir. Same h--"

Lucius cut him off as he used their joined hands to pull him closer. "You'll forgive me--" He used his cane to shove Harry's fringe aside to examine his forehead more closely. "--But your scar is legend, as is the wizard that gave it to you."

"Father!" hissed Draco, shock warring with embarrassment on his face as he took an useless half-step forward.

" _Voldemort_ was nothing but a murderer," snarled Harry.

Lucius tilted his head, ignoring Draco's outburst. "You must be very brave for a Hufflepuff, if you're willing to say His name aloud."

The capitalized 'H' in 'his' was audible in Lucius' speech and Harry set his jaw, staring him down. "Beat him twice already. 'M not worried."

Lucius leaned in further and squeezed Harry's hand hard, his voice just above a whisper. " _Very_ brave," he said with a dangerously indulgent smile. He released Harry with a shake and straightened, smoothing down his robes. "Draco, why don't we walk your friend back to Diagon Alley... where he'll be _safe_?"

"Yes, father," said Draco sullenly as Lucius turned and strode away, mouthing 'sorry' in Harry's direction.

"And Draco," murmured Lucius, stopping to drop a hand on Draco's shoulder. "Do watch your tone."

Draco's eyes went wide as he shrunk a little in the direction of Lucius' hand. He rubbed his shoulder with a scowl to match Harry's as Lucius let go and continued on his way.

Harry muttered, "Wow."

"Yeah," murmured Draco under his breath as Harry fell in step with him as far behind Lucius as they thought they could get away with. "But at least I don't live in a closet."

Harry's hand shot out and shoved Draco into the door frame hard enough to jangle the entry bells, but all Draco did was snort a laugh and shove back as Harry called an apology to the cadaverous man at the counter, who was just now wondering where the dark-haired boy had come from.

###

"Let me get this straight," Draco said as he and Harry emerged into Diagon Alley behind Lucius. "The menace twins and junior Weasley rescued you in a flying _car_?"

"Yeah!" Harry beamed. "It was brilliant. It has an invisibility drive, so the Muggles can't see it and go nuts. But we could see everything!"

"Sounds... dangerous."

A familiar voice broke into the conversation and they looked up. "Harry!" called Ron as he stepped out of Flourish and Blotts. "Oh man, Mum was so worried. Um. Hi, Malfoy."

Draco spared a nod and a muttered greeting for Ron as Harry grinned and scratched his eyebrow. "Ended up in Knockturn Alley. Draco and his dad found me."

"Lucky it was someone you know," Ron said. "Knockturn's a dodgy place."

"I saw," said Harry ruefully.

"Malfoy."

All three boys looked up to find that Ginny, Arthur and the twins had followed Ron out of the shop, and it was Arthur now facing down Lucius, who snarled, "Weasley," in return.

Ron covered his face. "Bloody hell."

"This cannot end well," muttered Draco.

"Err," said Harry, as the hostilities between Arthur and Lucius seemed to be escalating inexorably. "What's that about?"

Hermione, Mrs. Weasley and two adults who appeared to be Muggles exited the shop next in time to see Lucius snatch Ginny's Transfiguration book out of her cauldron and comment on its battered state. The Weasleys all glared, as did Draco, who looked embarrassed and a little caught out as he murmured to Harry, "Bad blood."

"Yeah," growled Ron. "Malfoy's dad likes to spill it. While wearing a mask and a Dark Mark."

Draco turned his angry sarcasm on Ron. "Watch your mouth, Weasley. That's bollocks. Your dad just doesn't like to be wrong about people. Being one of the _good guys_ and all, he's never wrong, yeah?"

"Whoa," said Harry, now standing between Ron and Draco busy glaring at one another. "Come on. We don't have to--"

Just then, Arthur physically went for Lucius, who had shoved Ginny's books back into her cauldron with enough violence to make her take a step back, to a chorus of gasps from the onlooking crowd. Draco and Ron both swore and took a half-step forward, the twins shouted encouragement for Arthur and Hermione caught Harry's eye and shrugged helplessly over the squabble.

A pair of huge hands reached down, grabbed both men by the robes at the scruff of the neck, and pulled them apart as easily as if they'd been toy soldiers. Hagrid frowned and shook them very slightly. "Ah, that's no example to set for your boys," he said. "Off with you both, before DMLE hauls you in for disturbing the peace."

Harry breathed a sigh of relief, dropping one hand each on Draco and Ron's shoulders. "See. It's over. Let's just--"

Lucius was now glaring in their direction as he straightened his robes and interrupted Harry. "Come, Draco. It's past time we moved on."

Still frowning, Draco shrugged too. "Guess I'll see you at school."

"Yeah, ok. See you," said Harry, his brow furrowed with worry and confusion. Ron only grunted.

Hermione walked up to them, hazarding a small wave for Draco as his father ushered him away. "Wow. That was scary."

"Pfft. Dad would have knocked the stuffing out of him," declared Ron, his eyes narrow as he watched the Malfoys walk away.

"Right. Anyway. Harry, Ron. I want you to meet my parents..." She fidgeted a little, and Harry's attention was suddenly fully on her. Hermione never fidgeted. She calculated, dissected, stared, sometimes glared, but never fidgeted.

"Alright, Hermione?" he asked.

She only nodded as she wrung her hands. "Yes, fine. It's just..." She took a breath. "They're Muggles."

"Muggles?" asked Ron, confused. "I thought you were obscure Pureblood or somesuch?"

"Neville told the Slytherins that at the Welcoming Feast because he was trying to protect me. He actually said they were Pureblood that went Muggle... but I can't hide them forever," she said nervously. "You won't tell anyone, will you?"

"Of course not," Harry said staunchly, Ron echoing his words not a moment later.

"Only, you know someone's going to find out eventually," said Ron, tilting his head at her consideringly. "And they won't be happy that you lied about it."

"I never actually lie about them! I only... you know. Misdirect," said Hermione, looking even more worried.

"It's alright, Hermione. They won't hear it from me," said Harry in as reassuring a tone as he could manage.

"Yeah, alright. Me neither," said Ron.

Hermione's face split into a grateful grin. "Thank you. Both of you." She reached out and loosely took Ron's wrist, tugging him forward. "Come on. They're great, and they've been dying to meet you all."

Ron's eyes went comically wide as he allowed Hermione to pull him forward, shooting a look at Harry that was a clear cry for help.

With a small smile, Harry could only spread his hands and shrug.


End file.
